Transmission wiring problems

Tiny
SHADETREE4YOU
  • MEMBER
  • 2006 FORD FUSION
  • 2.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • 188,000 MILES
Driving the road going 35 MPH and in an instant car down shifted to a lower gear. Speedometer dropped from 35 to nothing. Coasted another 500 yards to a parking lot gas station tried to accelerate 20 feet from the gas pump. Car was struggling to make the last ten yards. After fueling, turned the key over with no start. There were some relays that were clicking but no start and no turn over. Got a friend to tow the car and as I tried to put it in neutral, Shifter was stuck. Disassembled trim around console and shifter to put it into neutral
Performed scanner and no DTC's. Cleared the codes anyway, disconnected negative battery cable for two hours and still no crank. I noticed a loose blue wire around the shifter but can't seem to unlock the connector where the loose wire is. Four terminal grey connector, orange red, black, and the blue wire is broke loose.
Just recently replaced positive battery cable from solenoid to battery post and it was too short. I added some metal to the battery terminal to make up the length and for the last week I have a battery icon light stating to check charging system. The reason I'm bringing this issue is for when replacing the power steering pump AutoZone gave me a faulty serpentine belt that was too short. I replaced the tight belt an inch too short. So I don't know. Maybe a loose ground wire or the blue wire that needs attention or the dreaded transmission control module or a blown fuse, vehicle speed sensor. I'm not privy to Fords with side mounted four bangers. So much help would be appreciated from this website that is the best informative website ever I've come across. Thank you.
Thursday, January 21st, 2021 AT 3:03 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
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Just to be clear, that wiring is around the shifter? Do you see where the connector is supposed to go?

However, was this an issue prior to it not starting? Meaning you found this after it shut off and did not start? If that is the cause I doubt this is the cause of your no start.

If the engine is turning over but not starting then we need to start with this guide that will walk us through the basics of this issue.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-cranks-but-wont-start

We need find out if we have fuel and spark. We can assume we have compression since the engine was running but we can come back to that if needed.

I would suggest with starting with fuel pressure and go from there.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-fuel-system-pressure-and-regulator

Thanks
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Friday, January 22nd, 2021 AT 7:34 PM
Tiny
SHADETREE4YOU
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Hello KASEKENNY1 Sorry for the late reply. I have my plate full of automobile woes along with life gets in the personal issues type stuff. To answer your questions in order, yes, the photo I took was the shifter from the car listed above. The reason I took the photo is because the key-way slot right next to the shifter on the upper right of the shifter would not unlock it out of park. So I started disassembling at the gas station before I was ready before my friend showed up to tow the car back to my house. Second question; No. I couldn't see where the wiring was coming from because the four wires that wraps around the shifter came out of a four terminal grey connector just left of the shifter control that is the part of the main console harness that branches off, ( if you will), And I'm assuming that harness came from the smart jct. Box.
However, I must back the situation up before I had the shifter problem. I was driving at about 35 MPH after the transmission had already made two shift points and at that time I felt the tranny down shifted to one shift point and the speedo was registering 0 mph when I was actually going about 30 MPH. I coasted the vehicle to convenient store at the gas pumps to get some gas. As I was near the gas pumps about 10 yards away, I felt the car struggling when I applied the gas to the pumps. It was only I put gas in the car to try to start and it was actually a not start- no turn over the motor. When I put the keys in the ignition and turn it over, all the lights in the cluster light up and the regular sounds like the car makes as usual, I thought it would turn over and start but it would not turn over. The 3rd question ; no, this was not an issue prior to the issue about it downshifted and lost the possible VSS when driving at 35 MPH. I have a fuel pressure kit to test the fuel pressure and if you want me to test the pressure, I will however, I am concerned that I had no trouble codes when scanned so I went through the motions on clearing the codes and took the negative cable off for 10 minutes just to see if it would reset itself from the no crank issue, and it was unsuccessful. I performed a scan for the second time and their was no dtc's again. Sorry to be a scatterbrain, instincts and second natural compelled me to check out possible scenarios so I could get a definitive problem. And since I have a blue wire and broke off of the shifter harness, I have bussard luck on acquiring a wiring diagram for the shifter control assembly and all I can see is the radio diagram and I'm floating off left field to the back forty meandering undertones of a big dummy. I'm pretty much lost other than my focus is hypothesis on a loose ground wire, the blue wire has no landmark orientation because the 2 black wires split up around the shifter linkage and one black wire goes into a 2 terminal connector and the white wire of the four is going to the 2 terminal with the black wire I just mention and the possible vehicle speed sensor took a dump but it should not have no bearing on the no start? Again, the scatterbrain at work needs to slow down and the practical listening needs to take heed on the gurus such as yourself on your website. I'm all ears professor. Thanks.
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Thursday, January 28th, 2021 AT 4:45 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Okay. Let's start with the connector and get those wires squared away and then we can work our way through this. If you want to go ahead and check fuel pressure then you can do that. Here is a guide that will help with that:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-fuel-system-pressure-and-regulator

You will find the connector view for this connector so we can get them in the correct places. Plus the wiring diagram for this connector.

Let us know what happens when the wires are back in place and then what the fuel pressure is and we can take the next steps. Thanks
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Thursday, January 28th, 2021 AT 5:02 PM
Tiny
SHADETREE4YOU
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Hey Kasekenny. Again, sorry for not getting back with you. The wires was for the interior light for the shifter. The blue wire was pull out of the bulb itself and the black was for the ground on the bulb that illuminates the shifter bulb. For all intense purposes I performed a gas pressure test and the results was 42 psi.
With no crank and no dtc codes displayed, I've been grasping at straws and only came up with the inertia switch and discovered that no integrity was breached. I also was feeling around at the SJB to feel that the clicking sound is like a relay clicking when I turned the switch to try and crank the motor.
So that's my only focus on the no crank situation. Just by the analyses that took place with it feeling like a down shift and the speedo dropping and the slight power the car to move another 10 feet to the gas pumps is perplexing.
And the only concern was not the wires for the shifter bulb. It was for the shifter solenoid not releasing the shifter to take the shifter out from park and the no crank situation that caused
the downshifting while driving at 40 mph and the speedo dropped completely.
The gas pressure is good the instrument cluster is normal with the all the lights illuminating. But no crank and no dtc's. I'm only a one man show and a fixed income with to many things on my plate for 5 vehicles with wiring woes on 4 of them. I need to start another thread on the other vehicle that has potential on transportation so I apologize losing focus for this thread and vehicle. I hope you understand that life gets in the way. I know that in order to get help from you and your website, (which is the only people I trust), I need to be more uninformative on the communicative side.
So, do I need to set focus on the relay clicking near the smart junction box or what makes another part or issue shuts down a no crank issue? Thank you and I'll look ahead for your possible solution. Thanks again.
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 AT 3:08 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
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Yes. Let's start with touching each relay when trying to start and find out what is clicking.

Then have you tested the battery?

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-load-test

Let's start with this and go from there. Thanks
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 AT 6:54 PM
Tiny
SHADETREE4YOU
  • MEMBER
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Hey CaseKenny. Well, I would have to say; "open mouth and insert foot". As I was checking relays, I notice that the initial inspection of the fuses, they seemed to be alright. That was visual. However, once I found the first blown fuse, I start pulling each one of them and found 4 blown fuses. If any body is reading this thread, please pull the fuses out and inspect them visually. Not what I performed. It costed me more time that I could be doing something more productive.
And yes, I did check for voltage; 11.4 after it sat in the driveway for two weeks. I put the battery on trickle for 30 minutes. And it started up. I still have a "Check Charging System"light and I think it was because of a 1 year battery from Walmart and it's 13 months old or (and need your opinion on this issue Kenny), when I recently replace a serpentine belt, AutoZone sold me a belt that was 2 inches shorter than the original belt and it took to people and a different approach when installing the belt. My power steering pump was raising heck and my idle is at 400 RPMs at idle. When I'm at a red light, I put the shifter in neutral and the PCM surges a high idle for 5 to 10 seconds. Could it be the case where the belt is too tight?
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Thursday, February 11th, 2021 AT 5:40 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Sounds great. It could be too tight as 2 inches is quiet a bit shorter. The easiest way to tell is if those issues (except for the power steering noise) go away when the belt is off. Your vehicle will run just fine for a short time with the belt off. However, if this does not solve it then we will need to get a new post started as we need to keep each post to one topic. The only reason is others will not find the solutions to each issue if they are all under the same post.

Thanks
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Thursday, February 11th, 2021 AT 7:51 PM

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